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Tiefling
Overview Tieflings are descendants from fiends (demons, Yugoloths, devils, evil deities, and others) who had bred with humans. Tieflings are known for their cunning and personal allure, which make them excellent deceivers as well as inspiring leaders when prejudices are laid aside. Although their evil ancestors could be many generations removed, the taint lingered. Unlike half-fiends, tieflings are not predisposed to evil alignments and vary in alignment nearly as widely as full humans, though tieflings are certainly devious. Physical Description Tieflings tended to have an unsettling air about them, and most people were uncomfortable around them, whether they were aware of the tiefling's unsavory ancestry or not. While some looked like normal humans, most retained physical characteristics derived from their ancestor, with the most common such features being horns, prehensile tails, and pointed teeth. Some tieflings also had eyes that were solid orbs of black, red, white, silver, or gold, while others had eyes more similar to those of humans. Other, more unusual characteristics included a sulfurous odor, cloven feet, or a general aura of discomfort they left on others. In many other ways, tieflings were similar to humans physically. Tieflings were, on average, just as tall as humans, from 5'6" – 6'2" (1.67 – 1.88 m) and weighed just a little bit heavier at 140 – 220 lbs (64 – 91 kg). Tiefling skin was usually human-like in color, though extending past normal human colors into reddish hues as well. Tiefling hair was often the same color as human hair as well, though dark blue, red, or purple were also common shades amongst the race. Although it was not always the case, tieflings tended to have better reflexes than their human kin. This, along with their natural propensity for hiding and deceit helped to give tieflings a reputation for thievery and duplicity. Tieflings who had strikingly inhuman features were often killed at birth by their horrified parents or others. Only those tieflings with subtle features or born to someone indifferent to their appearance, either out of acceptance or cruel purpose, were likely to reach adulthood. Those tieflings who did reach adulthood could be expected to age at roughly the same rate. They also lived for about the same amount of time. Psychology Most tieflings were aware from an early age that they were different from others around them, and were given to strange urges and desires because of their unusual ancestry. Few tieflings were raised with the love a normal human child might expect to receive and this shaped most of the race into bitter individuals who expected eventual rejection from all whom they meet. While some would follow this path towards evil, others rejected it wholeheartedly and sought to make a good impact on the world around them, sometimes becoming the most heroic characters of all. Few could maintain this discipline however, and most tieflings fell somewhere between both extremes. Because tieflings were generally distrusted throughout the world, owing to their fiendish heritage, many were themselves distrusting and self-reliant. Tieflings were also proud and secretive by nature and possessed a dark demeanor. Unfortunately, this only helped to further the reputation tieflings had for being social outcasts and untrustworthy scoundrels. However, members of other races would find that once they demonstrated friendship and trust towards a tiefling, it would quickly be reciprocated in full. Once that bond was forged, it was rarely broken. Culture Culture of Distrust Like other races that were the result of the breeding of two or more others, tieflings had no true culture they could call their own. However, there were many archetypal features of tieflings that were not necessarily innate. This include their attitude regarding their heritage, and while some tieflings embraced it, others were repulsed by it, forging the two most common stereotypes of tieflings. The former tieflings, who were proud of their fiendish past, were often fascinated by the dark and sinister events that touched the world, but were not necessarily evil or inclined to perpetuate them. Some tieflings of this type chose to use their knowledge of evil and their own fiendish abilities to thwart these dark plots and schemes. Others sought to learn more and to emulate these evil deeds. Other tieflings were ashamed or even frightened of their heritage and wished only to escape the shadow that lurked over them as a result. Some did this through constantly doing good, as though to make up for the evil that begot them. Others instead hid and tried to go unnoticed as they passed through the world, preferring to be ignored and forgotten than noticed and made a target because of their past. Regardless of their motivations, tieflings often distrusted one another, sometimes even casting the same preconceptions on one another that others did on them. In spite of this, many secretly desired to have another tiefling nearby, if only to experience some small kind of kinship. Some of these tieflings gathered as partners-in-crime, while others were sought out by good tieflings who hoped to redeem others of their race. Religion and Magic Those tieflings who sought power through arcane magic were most often warlocks. Tiefling arcane spellcasters of all kinds, however, felt a draw towards the fiendish energies of the planes and tiefling wizards commonly specialized as diviners for the purposes of seeking knowledge of the Lower Planes or as conjurers so that they might summon the dark spirits whom they called kin. Those tieflings who were religious were a varied lot, since no god held more sway over tieflings than any other, though Asmodeus, as the lord over the fiendish race of devils, may come close. Most tieflings called on one of the primary gods of their homeland, though there were exceptions. Race Relations Tieflings, in general, didn't get along well with the other races of the world and were slow to trust others of any race, even their own. Of all the common races, tieflings felt the most kinship with half-orcs, who were similarly a target of revulsion and hate. Notable Tieflings Notable Tiefling Individuals There are no notable Tiefling individuals as of yet Category:Humanoids Category:Fiend Category:Playable Race